Life of a Gal Named Liv

If you’re a plant lover like me, you probably count down the days till it’s time to buy seed. Our local food coop has a fantastic variety of locally adapted seeds, that do well in our climate (and support the local economy). My first year of gardening out here in the Palouse, I made the mistake of buying all my seeds and starts off of Etsy, which was an epic failure (at least for my tomato production). Thankfully, we got some free starts that year from a local non-profit & had no issue making a few dozen jars of salsa.

So, this will be my third season gardening in Northern Idaho and I’m into it more than ever! Some of our changes this year include:

• Purchase of a 2 chamber composter
• We are cutting back on corn, beans, and kale (due to lack of growth the past 2 seasons and/or insect infestation)
• We are increasing our winter squash production, and slightly decreasing our zucchini crop
• We are expanding the fence, and adding a few more garden boxes

As y’all know, I will be gone until mid- June, so my mom will be in charge of planting this season. Of course, I can always help out once I get back since spring lasts a long while up here! I mean, last year our tomatoes didn’t fruit until July… so who knows what this year will bring!

As you may know, I have been very intrigued by “companion plants,” thus decreasing the need for chemicals. This last year, we sprayed Neem oil one time, and we are hoping to be fully chemical free this year. By planting species that naturally help one another, your gardening is much more hands off. We always plant pollinator flower mixes in between each production plant, to decrease the amount of space viable for weeds. While this may look “messy”, we have an insane amount of bees & butterflies! The graphic below explains how companion plants can help out host plants, and if you want to read more about companion plant relationships check this article out!

Plus, picking a bouquet of flowers every week? Please tell me the downfall of mixing flowers in with your fruits & veggies!

Pollinators are in an extraordinary decline, and it is so important to add native pollinator species to your garden (or front yard, planter boxes, orwindow sill) to not only help your plants, but to #SaveTheBees. Typically, your local plant nursery will sell native pollinator seed- I have linked a few below. (Local) wildflower seeds are KEY to increasing the plants’ survival rates, and attracting pollinators that live in your area.

The Palouse Region Rose Creek Seed Prairie Mix

Boise Area Snake River Seed Wildflower mix

PNW Coastal Region NW Meadow Seed Mix

High Desert Western High Desert Wildflower Mix

I was fortunate enough to be a part of our town’s Bee City Committee, which is a part of the Bee City USA program to encourage cities in promoting pollinator habitat, increasing community involvement, allocating city funds to habitat improvement projects, and connecting people to our pollinators! If you are interested in bringing these resources to your city/ town, & want to learn more about the impact Bee City communities are having check out this StoryMap!

Are you or your kids interested in our Pollinator friends? Check out this Video on Pollinators! Looking for a fun game to play in your classroom or when the kids have friends over? Check out this fantastic Pollinator Game, Busy Bees, Busy Blooms (Lower Elementary) by Project WILD!